Ashima & Leena

Label: Ashima and Leena

The sisters-in-law of the fashion circuit, Ashmina and Leena have made
a commendable contribution to the Indian fashion world as well as its
international counterpart. The ease with which they work reflects in
their designs as well. While Ashima works on the creative frontiers of
the business, crafting new designs, Leena takes charge of the
merchandising and the management part of it. Being masters of bridal
wear and hand embroideries, the duo has acquired great accolades
globally and has been dynamic supplier of traditional Indian outfits,
with a tinge of modernity added to it. Ashmina and Leena love to play
with colors and are widely known for their special color effects.
Prominence on class, attention to detail, fabric development and
complex, grandiose embroideries are the trademarks of the ingenuity of
their brand.

Early Life
Leena is a graduate in English, with Master's in English Literature and
a Law degree in Income Tax. Ashima, on the other hand, is a B.Com (Hons)
Graduate from Shri Ram College. She passed out from NIFT (2nd Batch),
winning 'The Best Student' Award. Leena had started her career as a
merchandiser with the Big Joes. In the year 1993, Ashima completed her
fashion designing course from the National Institute of Fashion
Technology. After completing her education, Ashima started working with
Leena at Big Joes and soon became friends.

The friendship between Ashima and Leena paved way to the establishment
of their own brand. While the sisters-in-law are purely professional
when it comes to their work, the story isn't the same at home. At their
dwelling, they turn into perfect housewives, with no discussions about
their work. Though they were good friends, Leena was the last to know
about the relationship between her brother and Ashima.

Career and Success
Ashima and Leena are among the few designers in the fashion circuit who
consistently come out with four collections every year. Their collection
is truly conventional in approach and contemporary in styling, giving it
the look that the urban bandwagon would love to have it in their
wardrobes. The success of the brand started with innumerous fashion
shows, both at the national and the international forum. In the year
1997, the fashion show "The Allure of India", which celebrated
India's 50 years of Independence, gained them a name in the industry. It
depicted the culture and heritage of the different states of India and
brought out their ethnicity and the traditions.

Brand and Clientele
Ashima and Leena had the honour of being the designers of Miss India
1999 Gul Panag. They were the first to collaborate with retailers and
team up with jewellery designer Paayal Seth, to come up with India's
Premier Retail Outlet Kaaya - the store for women in South Delhi. They
have exclusive exhibitions in Dubai, U.K, and U.S.A. In India, they have
joined hands with Vama & Kimaya in Mumbai. In Delhi, besides
retailing from their own studio, they also have their collections in the
'Hottest Fashion Mall'.

The clientele list of Ashima and Leena is well over six thousand
people. Their future plans are to open up six stores in U.S.A, starting
from New York and San Francisco. They also plan to diversify their work,
in collaboration with some of the top business companies, to the stream
of interiors as well as accessories. They wish to open an individual
mall, which would cater to the needs of the people not only in fashion,
but also in other sectors.